Sunday, May 30, 2010

In a recent issue of Science magazine, the genome pioneer Craig Venter announced that he and scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute had created a “synthetic cell.” Mr. Venter heralded it as “the first self-replicating species we’ve had on the planet whose parent is a computer” and said it could allow humans to create new vaccines and biofuels using artificial microbes.

Mr. Venter’s claim to have created a synthetic species is likely overstated. But there is no denying that he has brought us an important step closer to the possibility of artificial life. President Obama has asked the White House bioethics commission to report back to him on the significance of this development.

“Synthetic cell” makes it sound as though Mr. Venter had constructed the entire cell, molecule by molecule. What he has done is create a synthetic genome — the longest string of DNA to be assembled in a laboratory — and place it in a bacterium. There, the synthetic DNA takes over the cell’s DNA, causing the bacterium to synthesize the proteins specified by the new DNA.

New research from Harvard Business School shows that federal spending in states causes local businesses to cut back rather than grow. In other words, when government spending grows the private sector shrinks. Key findings in the study:

I am in a philosophical frame of mind (not a New York...apologies to Billy Joel) and I am currently reading some of the select works of Henti Poincare (on the philosophy of science...always an issue that is dear to me) and Lou Marinoff. Marinoff uses philosophy as a psychology tool. He has been criticized for his approach but I personally find his take refreshing.

1. Manchester United failed to win the EPL and more importantly the Champion's League.2. Liverpool did the double over Everton.3. TwenteEnschede won the Dutch Eredivisie proving that their is still a sliver of hope for the small market clubs.4. Real Madrid came away empty handing even after their big buck spendings on Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema.5. Superb individual performances by Lionel Messi in particular....as he makes a strong case to possibly be the game's greatest.6. The fantastic run of Fulham in the Europa Cup...too bad they came up short.7. World Cup Anticipation....there are at least seven candidates who can win in South Africa.8. Barcelona's pure footer that verged on the poetic.9. Pepe Reina solidifies his credentials as one of the best goalies in the world.

9 Negatives

1. The crisis that is Liverpool and their disastrous 90/10 season.2. United win another League Cup3. More boredom in the FA Cup as Chelsea triumph again.4. Jose Mourinho wins a treble with Inter Milan...another boost for his ego.5. English teams perform poorly in Champion's League.6. Rangers top Celtic in winning the SPL.7. Egypt win the African Nations Cup.8. England suffer key injuries and look increasingly anaemic as World Cup 2010 rolls closer.9. Diego Forlan axes Liverpool then Fulham in Europa League.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

As mentioned earlier I was disappointed with John Horgan's End of Science (he seems to have completely underestimated Thomas Kuhn's work on the Paradigm Shift) but I decided to give his book Rational Mysticism a chance (after all the material greatly interests me). Rational Mysticism is a survey work that starts with the Perennial insights of Huston Smith, the Post-Modernist critique of Steven Katz and the writings of Ken Wilber before addressing the arguments of Susan Blackmore, Andrew Newberg, Alexander Shulgin and others.I enjoyed the first half of the book but was disappointed by the latter portion's emphasis on drug induced mystical sensations.

I tend to be critical of the whole Timothy Leary school of accessing deeper consciousness through drugs as a cop out and an unnecessary one at that. I am not convinced that the findings of this approach have any merit at all and would have liked Horgan to focus on more legitimate avenues of understanding consciousness that bridge the gap between science and theology. In short Horgan's work steps off the rational train and doesn't seem to return..its a pity as this book opened up with much promise but at the end did not deliver much.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

I have yet to warm up to David Cameron and his Fuzzy Conservatives but he certainly seems to be a better choice than Labour's Gordon Brown and the Lib-Dem Nick Clegg.The Conservatives fell twenty seats short of a majority and will have to rely on the Whigs to govern. Many of Clegg's supporters claim that he has failed them by forming an alliance with a party that seems to be at odds with the Lib-Dems on many issues (election reform, immigration, welfare state etc) but Clegg's move was one of his expediency that may serve to prevent him from being another David Steele or Paddy Ashdown (ie. a perennial occupant of the political wilderness). Only time will tell. Nevertheless Cameron's biggest challenge is clear: the anemic British Economy uber alles. I wish him luck.

Despite the lack of time I have managed to sneak in a few good reads. Lawrence Kelmen's permission to believe was a useful diversion. Kelmen puts forth the rationalist argument for G-d under the sub texts of absolute morality and cosmological/teleological principles. As a rabbi he further extends his reasoning into the Judaic universe. While I have heard these arguments before (including the case for atheist irrationality) Kelmen'ssuccinct approach is commendable.

I am now reading James Horgan's, Rational Mysticism, which seems to have some early promise. I was disappointed by Horgan's early work, the End of Science, so it is worthwhile to see if he can redeem himself with this newer work.

The overlap between religion, science and by extension reason is a topic that continues to intrigue me. For those with a similar fascination I would urge you to read Harold Morowitz's ' The Emergence of Everything'. Morowitz is systematic in his outlook but broad in his scope. His understanding of complexity is constructed along a logical narrative that opens the door between Cartesian Reductionism and Holistic Emergence.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Taken from: 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions About Human Behavior (Paperback)

Introduction: The Wide World of Psychomythology

1 Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power2 Some People Are Left–Brained, Others Are Right–Brained3 Extrasensory Perception Is a Well–Established Scientific Phenomenon4 Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes5 Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products6 Playing Mozart’s Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence7 Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil8 Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in Their 40s or Early 50s9 Old Age Is Typically Associated with increased dissatisfaction and Senility10 When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages11 Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurately Records the Events we have Experienced.12 Hypnosis is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events13 Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences14 Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives15 Intelligence Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People16 If You’re Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It’s Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch17 The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters18 Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to Their Learning Styles19 Hypnosis Is a Unique "Trance" State that Differs in Kind from Wakefulness20 Researchers Have Demonstrated that Dreams Possess Symbolic Meaning21 Individuals Can Learn Information, like New Languages, while Asleep22 During "Out–of–Body" Experiences, People’s Consciousness Leaves Their Bodies23 The Polygraph ("Lie Detector") Test Is an Accurate Means of Detecting Dishonesty24 Happiness Is Determined Mostly by Our External Circumstances25 Ulcers Are Caused Primarily or Entirely by Stress26 A Positive Attitude Can Stave off Cancer27 Opposites Attract: We Are Most Romantically Attracted to People Who Differ from Us28 There’s Safety in Numbers: The More People Present at an Emergency, the Greater the29 Men and Women Communicate in Completely Different Ways30 It’s Better to Express Anger Openly to Others than to Hold It in31 Raising Children Similarly Leads to Similarities in Their Adult Personalities32 The Fact that a Trait Is Heritable Means We Can’t Change It33 Low Self–Esteem Is a Major Cause of Psychological Problems34 Most People Who Were Sexually Abused in Childhood Develop Severe Personality Disturbances in Adulthood35 People’s Responses to Inkblots Tell Us a Great Deal about Their Personalities36 Our Handwriting Reveals Our Personality Traits37 Psychiatric Labels Cause Harm by Stigmatizing People38 Only Deeply Depressed People Commit Suicide39 People with Schizophrenia Have Multiple Personalities40 Adult Children of Alcoholics Display a Distinct Profile of Symptoms41 There’s Recently Been a Massive Epidemic of Infantile Autism42 Psychiatric Hospital Admissions and Crimes Increase during Full Moons43 Most Mentally Ill People Are Violent44 Criminal Profiling Is Helpful in Solving Cases45 A Large Proportion Of Criminals Successfully Use the Insanity Defense46 Virtually All People Who Confess to a Crime Are Guilty of It47 Expert Judgment and Intuition Are the Best Means of Making Clinical Decisions48 Abstinence Is the Only Realistic Treatment Goal for Alcoholics49 All Effective Psychotherapies Force People to Confront the "Root" Causes of Their Problems in Childhood50 Electroconvulsive ("Shock" Therapy Is a Physically Dangerous and Brutal Treatment

I believe in the existence of a single power, an entity of unimaginable intelligence whose true essence cannot be defined. For convenience I will call this being God. It is God who created all of this universe and all possible universes past, present and future. Who or what God is supersedes explanation. God can destroy the universe as simply as it was created for God transcends all that is matter, energy and spirit. God is one.

I am best described as a Classical Liberal in that I champion democracy, human rights, private ownership of property, free enterprise, meritocracy, high levels of education, the rule of law and a complete openess to discussion and debate within society.

A person's ability to solve a problem depends on the perspective that you view yourself in relation to the problem. Always look down at the problem as though you are its master. Look up to the problem and you are lost from the beginning

Express the rhythm of one's thoughts in poetry but be careful not to allow the rhythm to dominate the ideas. It is the idea that is always paramount.